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GaW Military Units
Reference Book: Star Wars Saga Edition Galaxy at War Many will claim that wars are fought by individual soldiers, and that a single person's contribution can turn the tides of battles and even of entire wars. That may be true, but typically wars area carried out not by individuals, but by factions. Within most conflicts, those factions are broken down into even smaller groups, often known as Military Units. This chapter details fifteen unique Military Units drawn from across the breadth of the Star Wars saga, from the ancient days of The Great Sith War all the way up through the fight against the Yuuzhan Vong invaders. Some units are part of a larger military structure, but still retain a great deal of autonomy. Although organizations such as The Katarn Commandos and Wraith Squadron answer to their New Republic and Galactic Alliance superiors, they still choose their own missions, create their own plans, and execute those plans according to their own standards. Other units aren't part of militaries at all; for example, The Mistryl Shadow Guard is an organization unto itself, and though beholden to the Eleven Elders of the People it answers to no higher military authority other than its own leaders. Heroes can choose to use these organizations as a part of their characters' histories or simply as models for creating their own, similar organizations. Having the heroes all choose a single unit as their organization makes it very easy for both the players and the Gamemaster to justify why heroes of such disparate skills and personalities might be working together. Serving as members of the same Military Unit is a great way for heroes to find common ground without having to resort to elaborate descriptions of how each hero knows each other hero and why they would all be working together. Moreover, having the heroes all be members of the same Military Unit makes it much easier to design adventures for those heroes, as they all have common (If not identical) goals and motivations. By the same token, these Military Units can be used as allies and antagonists for heroes in any campaign, not just those with a military theme. Each Military Unit in this chapter contains information on its goals, methods, rank structure, and missions to give the Gamemaster a solid idea of how the organization functions and what its members could be like. When creating NPC allies and antagonists, using these Military Units is a great way to give an adventure a warfare-based twist without having to alter the structure of the entire adventure. The Ailon Nova Guard Affiliation Page: The Ailon Nova Guard Some societies are founded on commerce, science, or art. The people of Ailon worship fighting, and their military, The Ailon Nova Guard- is one of the finest in the galaxy. Nearly 13,000 years ago, Ailon became a member of the Republic. Its people quickly realized that the eons of warfare they had endured on their homeworld had forged them into warriors without equal- at least, when compared to the other Species that made up the galactic confederation. Initially contemptuous of Humans, Duros, and others, the Ailon soon grew to respect the Republic's superior technology and realized that they could serve the cause of war by fighting the Republic's enemies. The Ailon Nova Guard hired out its services to the Republic's Supreme Chancellor and used the credits it earned to sustain its homeworld, allowing more Ailon to move from sustenance farming into the military. The Ailon Nova Guard remained separate from the Republic Army. As a special combat detachment, its members saw service only when the Republic's need was great and when the Republic military had room for them in its annual budget. The Republic did away with its standing military after the Ruusan Reformation in 1000 BBY, and the Nova Guard filled the gap. However, the group could not hide its disgust with a government that had pulled out its own fangs. The rise of the Empire suited the Nova Guard. Having fought under too-lenient Jedi commanders in Clone Wars debacles such as the Battles of Bassadro and Ord Canfre, The Ailon Nova Guard gravitated toward Emperor Palpatine. Under his orders, they slaughtered The Mandalorian Protectors at Norval II, and the Ailon High Marshal welcomed the chance to further serve the galaxy's iron-fisted ruler. The feeling was not mutual. Emperor Palpatine and his officers sneered at these non-Humans with delusions of superiority, and they refrained from wiping out Ailon only after the act was deemed an inefficient use of the Empire's resources. Instead, the Empire kept the Nova Guard occupied by sending them on suicide missions. The Ailon High Marshal treated these assignments as great honors, believing the daunting odds to be a sign of the Imperial military's deep respect. The Empire's scheme backfired when the Nova Guard began winning even these impossible battles. To prevent further embarrassments, the Empire dramatically cut back on Nova Guard activities, leaving the people of Ailon with no outlet but to direct their energy into the annual Ailon Military Celebrations. This string of events, encompassing parades, air shows, ceremonial duels, weapons displays, war games, and salutes to the martial traditions of other cultures, drew tourists from across The Inner Rim and allowed the Nova Guard to keep its units in top shape. With no active combat killing off Nova Guard soldiers, the high reproduction rate of the Ailon soon swelled their military past its capacity. At its height, The Ailon Nova Guard numbered close to a billion strong. Whole regiments were reassigned solely to the task of training new recruits. After the Empire showed its weakness by losing the Battle of Endor, the Nova Guard volunteered its services to the victorious New Republic. Setting on its former Imperial with ferocity, the Nova Guard helped The New Republic eradicate Imperial forces in The Inner Rim. As their successes mounted, the Nova Guard moved on to target the Empire's fortress worlds in The Mid Rim. The New Republic kept The Ailon Nova Guard steadily employed, always aware that the mercenaries could turn on them at the first sign of weakness. This prediction proved true during the first years of the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion. Awed by the invaders' military might, the Nova Guard helped the Yuuzhan Vong conquer The Inner Rim. Their actions earned the planet Ailon crippling economic sanctions in the postwar era. Churhee's Riflemen Affiliation Page: Churhee's Riflemen More than a mercenary force, Churhee's Riflemen is a tight-knit band of sharpshooters with high standards of membership- and zero tolerance for those who don't appreciate the purity of ranged combat. Formed in the decade following the end of the Clone Wars, Churhee's Riflemen took advantage of the Empire's stranglehold over military operations at the sector and system level. With many planetary defense forces either disbanded or nationalized, the need for independent contractors was stronger than ever. Vlaydm Churhee drew upon his heritage as a sharpshooter in the Army of the First Line on Ulda Frav to form a squad of for-hire soldiers. Churhee's Riflemen advertised its talents throughout the Outer Rim's Sarin and Parmel Sectors, first serving as a unit within larger mercenary armies, then accepting solo jobs as its reputation grew. Soon, Churhee's Riflemen was regularly engaged in rear-guard harassment of enemy lines, scouting troop movements, and assassinating opposing commanders from long-range cover. Churhee's Riflemen accepted any assignments regardless of ideology, sometimes even switching allegiances in the middle of a battle. That changed after a debacle in the Y'Trella System. While on a job for The Galactic Empire, the group found itself pinned down by the enemy and abandoned by the Imperial forces that had promised to provide backup. Almost all the Riflemen perished, and their founder, Vlaydm Churhee, was among the dead. The survivors regrouped on Turcan III under the leadership of Vlaydm's widow, Maydla Churhee. They agreed to rebuild the unit, but this time as a fiercely anti-Imperial organization. Churhee's Riflemen still accepted jobs from sector crime lords and neutral parties, but it poured the profits into beefing up intel on the Parmel Sector's Moff Tallis. This intel allowed them to solicit specialty work from local cells of The Rebel Alliance. The Riflemen became such an irritant to the Empire that Moff Tallis eventually flattened Turcan III with a full-scale military assault. More than half the Riflemen died while fighting a rear-guard delaying action, but the remainder escaped offworld thanks to an airlift organized by the Alliance. The Battle of Turcan III cemented the members of Churhee's Riflemen as heroes of the Rebellion and brought the group galaxywide fame. The Rebel Alliance (And later The New Republic) kept the Riflemen busy with lucrative, exclusive assignments, in part so that they could exploit the propaganda value of having the Riflemen among their ranks. After The New Republic captured Coruscant, Churhee's Riflemen no longer felt comfortable working for those in the seat of galactic power. The group returned to Turcan III, but this time with the clout and freedom to be picky about the mercenary jobs it selected. Churhee's Riflemen continues to take work from free-market gangsters, but it has a hatred for despots of all stripes. The Hapan Royal Guard Affiliation Page: The Hapan Royal Guard For millennia, The Hapes Consortium- an isolated cluster of stars cut off from the galaxy and rumored to house beautiful women and uncountable riches- fueled the imaginations of envious spacers. Even today, its all-powerful monarchy continues to captivate public interest, and it is The Hapan Royal Guard that prevents the collapse of this charmed society by standing in the way of regicide. Hapan culture traces its origins to approximately 4050 BBY, when The Jedi annihilated The Lorell Raiders (Also known as The Hapan Pirates) who had been harassing Republic shipping from hideouts in the near-impassible Transitory Mists. The pirates' captives- most of them strikingly beautiful women- retreated to the 63 worlds within the Mists and formed a female dominated and, eventually, very wealthy society. With all governmental power vested in the hereditary officer of Queen Mother, the Hapans built a powerful navy and eventually sealed the cluster's borders in 3100 BBY. Although the galaxy couldn't see it, the 63 Hapan worlds entered a golden age. The Queen Mother's power was absolute, but that didn't prevent rivals from trying to maneuver other family members onto the throne. The Hapan Royal Guard, or The Chume'doro, first appeared in about 3000 BBY to protect the Queen Mother. This bodyguard unit consisted of 100 women selected from the elite members of the Hapan Navy and tasked with accompanying the Queen Mother on trips outside the Fountain Palace, screening visitors to her throne room, and tasting her food. Over time, the Royal Guard's ranks increased as they expanded their protection to include other members of the royal family. When scheming heirs corrupted the Royal Guard's bodyguard details and enlisted their help in coup attempts, The Chume'doro established the Investigative Branch to ferret out plots against the Queen Mother and to perform internal-affairs surveillance against its own members. In 8 ABY, The Hapes Consortium reopened its borders. The reigning monarch, Ta'a Chume, fell out of power in favor of her daughter-in-law, the outsider Teneniel Djo. The Hapan Royal Guard shifted its allegiance to the new ruler, but Ta'a Chume, still under palace protection, played on her personal guards' loyalty to her and used them to help plot Teneniel's death. A secret war erupted within the ranks of The Chume'doro. Assassinations thinned the group's ranks even as it maintained an unbroken veneer of professionalism. The end of the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion united the Royal Guard once more, with its members protecting Queen Mother Tenel Ka and her daughter Allana from assassination during the Second Galactic Civil War. The Kolkpravis Affiliation Page: The Kolkpravis Kalee is a harsh, dirt-poor world that has been ignored by the rest of the galaxy. The only native that most beings have heard of is General Grievous. Society on Kalee is dominated by thousands of Kaleesh tribes linked by complicated bloodlines and by feuds that have endured for centuries. The formation of The Kolkpravis- a united army of tribal warriors from across the eastern hemisphere- became possible only after extraplanetary threats eclipsed old hatreds. The soldiers of Kalee's Kolkpravis tested their swords against Thalassian slavers and ore raiders, but the planet remained largely isolated, its enemies never granting it the importance the Kaleesh believed to be their birthright. During the Kadok Regions' Bitthævrian expansion citra 65 BBY, the Republic failed to topple the Bitthævrian regime on Guiteica with a secret coup. Rather than allow their meddling to come to light, the Republic trained The Kolkpravis as an insurgent force. Armed with Czerka Adventurer Rifles and covertly trained by Jedi, including Count Dooku and Qui-Gon Jinn, The Kolkpravis pitted themselves against the soldiers of Guiteica's m'Yalfor'ac Order. Within five years, the Bitthævrians withdrew in defeat, and The Kolkpravis never learned that they had acted as the Republic's puppets. Soon, the warriors of The Kolkpravis had to defend against a real and imminent threat. The insectoid Yam'rii (Which the Kaleesh called the Huk) invaded Kalee while scouring for colony worlds, and the besieged Kolkpravis found inspiration under the leadership of Qymaen jai Sheelal and his soulmate, Ronderu lij Kummar. Sheelal organized The Kolkpravis into eight divisions, each answerable to one of the Izvoshra- eight elite soldiers responsible for Sheelal's protection and the execution of his will. After driving the Yam'rii from Kalee, Sheelal and and The Kolkpravis chased after the aggressors back to their homeworld, massacring both soldiers and civilians. The Yam'rii petitioned the Republic's Senate to save them from extinction, and Jedi intervention brought an abrupt end to the Huk War. Shamed by this conclusion to their crusade, The Kolkpravis suffered further as economic sanctions drove Kalee into ruin. Sheelal- now calling himself Grievous as a tribute to his companion Ronderu following her death in combat with the Yam'rii- took jobs with the InterGalactic Banking Clan to alleviate his homeworld's misery. Yet he was a warrior, not a thug, and soon returned to lead The Kolkpravis after learning that the Yam'rii had desecrated Kaleesh burial grounds on the colony world of Oben. The IBC sabotaged the ship carrying Grievous and the eight members of the Izvoshra, sending it into the Jenuwaa Sea. Grievous lived on, reborn as a cyborg to serve Count Dooku in the Clone Wars. Bentilais san Sk'ar, a former revolutionary turned tyrant of the western hemisphere and the only member of the Izvoshra to survive the crash, rallied The Kolkpravis. He led the slaughter of the Yam'rii on Oben and moved his people to that resource-rich world. After Captain Thawn was forced to raze Oben as part of his pacification of the fringe territories, Sk'ar left Kalee space to serve the Empire. The Kolkpravis, led by a female warrior believed to be the second incarnation of Ronderu lij Kummar, continued to guard the remnants of their once-proud civilization. The Katarn Commandos Affiliation Page: The Katarn Commandos The Katarn Commandos are the most celebrated black ops unit of The New Republic- the ones who get the call when impregnable strongholds need breaching or invincible superweapons need destroying. The Katarn Commandos rarely earn public accolades, but their enemies known them well. The group was founded as the SpecForce 32nd commando unit during the Galactic Civil War under the command of Bren Derlin. They fought tenaciously during the Battle of Hoth, holding off advancing Snowtroopers long enough to enable the evacuation of the Rebellion's command staff. In recognition of the efforts of the 32nd, General Crix Madine recommended that the unit be assigned to protect Alliance High Command, directly answerable to commander-in-chief Mon Mothma. The unit fought as part of General Han Solo's strike team during the Battle of Endor, after which Derlin turned the reins of the unit over to Lieutenant Judder Page. Page accepted the responsibility but refused to accept a promotion. The rest of the team followed his unorthodox lead. The unit became even more independent and irregular, disappearing into the field for weeks or months at a time without reporting in to New Republic contacts, yet always achieving its objective. As its reputation grew, the 32nd became known as Page's Commandos. The team often went far beyond its mission objectives. Dispatched by New Republic command to destroy a shield generator during the capture of Basilisk, Page's Commandos went on to destroy the generator powering the garrison cannons, to ground a wing of TIEs with an electrified net over the hangar launch chute, and to force Imperial governor Nistola's surrender after penetrating his heavily armed flying fortress. When General Garret landed with a New Republic invasion force, he took the capital without firing a shot. Kyle Katarn, one of The New Republic's top operatives, joined Page's Commandos in The New Republic's early years, aiding the team in top-secret missions against Imperial warlords on worlds including Kashyyyk, Boudolayz, and Garos IV. Around this time, the team changed its name to The Katarn Commandos- some say as a tribute to Commander Katarn, although Wookiee member Frorral insisted the name referred to her homeworld's jungle predator. Lieutenant Page sometimes worked solo, contributing his expertise to such campaigns as the capture of Coruscant and the war against Grand Admiral Thrawn. Eventually, Page grudgingly accepted a promotion to captain, and The Katarn Commandos continued to fight during the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion and the Second Galactic Civil War. Lightning Squadron Affiliation Page: Lightning Squadron Lightning Squadron, an elite recon unit formed at the start of the Clone Wars, carries out risky and unusual scouting missions during which it provokes hostilities in order to gather intelligence on its opponents. As part of the 91st Reconnaissance Corps of the Grand Army of the Republic, Lightning Squadron was set up to handle special recon assignments. The group consisted of 10 clones and their AT-RTs, and it could be subdivided into two lances (Squads) of five. The squadron's first action came at Herdessa, six days after the Battle of Geonosis. Lightning Squadron located a weak point in the Confederacy's battle line, and its AT-RTs raided the MTT housing the central control computer, temporarily shutting down all Battle Droids and allowing the Republic's 121st Regiment to roll past the enemy's heavy artillery. At the Battle of Muunilinst, Lightning Squadron led three other AT-RT recon squads into the capital city, harassing IG-86 Sentinel Droids and preventing an organized response while the Republic's main force surrounded the stronghold of The InterGalactic Banking Clan. At the Battle of Daalang, Lightning Squadron penetrated the energy shield protecting the Separatists' antiorbital mass driver cannon, used their AT-RTs to sprint past Droid defenses and destroy the shield generator, and escaping before the orbiting Star Destroyer Eliminator unleashed its bombardment. Lightning Squadron sometimes undertakes missions directly for Mace Windu and other Jedi Generals. Late in the war, it helps enforce the Siege of Saleucami before the squad's transfer to Kashyyyk, where the issuance of Order 66 ushers in a new era for all clone units. As the Grand Army is segmented into both the Imperial Army and the Stormtrooper Corps, Lightning Squadron remains an army unit attached to the 91st Recon Corps. Lightning Squadron, now in pursuit of the Empire's enemies, gains new fame from its success in uncovering hidden Rebel bases. The squadron probes Rebel defenses in order to provoke a counterattack, thereby gaining intelligence on the Rebel's position and armaments. Once Lightning Squadron has assessed the Rebel base's defenses, the main army moves in and destroys the base. The Mandalorian Protectors Affiliation Page: The Mandalorian Protectors The history of The Mandalorians encompases tens of thousands of years, but The Mandalorian Protectors burned brightly for only a few decades. Embodying the highest ideals of their warrior culture, the Protectors were the antidote for a people who had too often slipped into the relative morality of mercenaries. The roots of the Protectors stretch back to Jaster Mereel's formation of the Mandalorian Supercommandos (Mando Ori'ramikade). During the Mandalorian Civil War of 60-34 BBY, the Protectors' ranks were split into two factions: the rebellious Death Watch and the reformist True Mandalorians of Mereel and Jango Fett. The True Mandalorians met their end at the Battle of Galidraan, but their moral teachings, embodied in the Supercommando Codex, inspired many back on Mandalore. Shortly before the Clone Wars, a rogue ARC Trooper escaped Kamino. Addled by the imprinted memories of his genetic "Parent" Jango Fett, Alpha-Ø2- better known as Spar- journeyed to Mandalore to rebuild the Supercommandos. Spar found willing recruits for his new Mandalorian Protectors among the ranks of the planetary police force, and his Protectors also attracted former members of the Death Watch. The Protectors believed Spar to be the son of Jango Fett, and as inspiration, Spar took the title Mandalore the Resurrector. The Mandalorian Protectors, 212 strong, enter the Clone Wars on the side of the Separatists, motivated by a hunger for order and by Spar's hatred of The Jedi who had orchestrated the Galidraan Massacre. The Protectors hit the Republic hard at the Battles of New Bornalex, New Holstice, Null, and Zaadja, as well as the Second Battle of Kamino. These armored warriors fight alongside 1,000 BL-Series Legionnaire Droids that had been partly designed by Fenn Shysa- a Protector rumored by some to be the true power behind the Protectors, but generally considered to be Mandalore the Resurrector's most loyal follower. Late in the war, The Mandalorian Protectors walk into an ambush on Norval II while pursuing a commission to capture Senator Amidala. All of them perish but three: Spar, Fenn Shysa, and Tobbi Dala. Spar disappears soon after, leaving Shysa and Dala to rebuild the Protectors. The two begin training elements of Mandalore's elite police force, starting a covert war against the Imperial slaving operation that had co-opted the Mandalorian government following the war's conclusion. The slavers, led by a being known as the Suprema, confiscates the armor from Mandalore's citizens. Despite this, Shysa works tirelessly to turn his recruits into worthy successors of the force that died at Norval II. Occasionally taking victimless mercenary jobs to fund his efforts, Shysa leads the rebuilt Protectors to victory just before the Battle of Endor. Tobbi Dala sacrifices himself in order to destroy the City of Bone and to kill the Suprema. Afterword, Shysa focuses all of his energy on restoring The Mandalorian Protectors. With armor, weapons, and hundreds of Mandalorians newly freed from slavery, Shysa accepts a commission from the Rebellion and assembles a force to aid Princess Leia Organa in the Rebels' post-Endor fight against the Nagai and the Tofs. Although they are primarily known in the wider galaxy as a mercenary unit, The Mandalorian Protectors function largely as a home guard patrolling the borders of the Mandalorian Sector. After ousting Grand Admiral Takel from Mandalorian Space, the Protectors restore their ranks to full strength. In 5 ABY, they aid General Luke Skywalker during the Inner Rim Campaign against Lord Shadowspawn. Many believe that the era of The Mandalorian Protectors ended with Shysa's death on Shogun in 21 ABY. Although Boba Fett succeeds Shysa as Mandalore, he does not continue the Protector tradition and leads the group as a purely mercenary force. The Mistryl Shadow Guard Affiliation Page: The Mistryl Shadow Guard The Mistryl Shadow Guard, the favored daughters of Emberlene, are one of the galaxy's most lethal (But least encountered) special-missions forces. The Mistryl has existed on Emberlene for centuries, although not always under that name. Their planet's matriartical culture encouraged secret societies and guilds, with spies and assassins evening out the balance of power between factions. The rulers of Emberlene, known as the Eleven Elders of the People, gave their blessings to seven such squads, with top members of each unit appointed to the elite Silent Hand. The Elders' Silent Hand unit evolved into The Mistryl Shadow Guard. With the outbreak of the Clone Wars, the Eleven Elders see an opportunity to expand Emberlene's fortune at the expense of its neighbors. Emberlene signs as a member of The Confederacy of Independent Systems, using that pretense to invade peaceful Republic worlds throughout the sector. For three years, Emberlene ravages local space, first sending in its Shadow Guard to kill a planet's politicians and generals, then following up with a military wave that flattens the disorientated defenders. News of this aggression does not spread to the greater galaxy, and the Republic- preoccupied with its own survival- cannot spare any Jedi to aid the victims. Faced with surrender or annihilation, the sector's planets pool their resources and hire a mercenary army led by rogue factions of The Sun Guards of Thyrsus. The counterattack pushes Emberlene's forces back to their homeworld, where withering orbital shelling ignites firestorms that leave the planet an ash-blackened shell. Their great campaign had failed, but the Eleven Elders clung to power by rewriting history. They claimed that the newly crowned Emperor Palpatine had ordered the devastation of Emberlene to punish the world for its glorious successes, and the Elders use the surviving members of the Shadow Guard to eliminate dissidents. By the time of the Battle of Yavin, not even the Mistryl knows the true story behind Emberlene's devastation. To sustain the impoverished planet and its people, the Eleven Elders hire out the Mistryl as mercenaries, where its skills earn high commissions. The Eleven maintain their public façade by loudly refusing to do business with the Empire, but quietly accept Imperial jobs on the side. The Shadow Guard are instrumental in both protecting a piece of the second Death Star's Superlaser during Operation Hammertong and in assassinating countless Imperial governors and moffs. A few members of The Mistryl Shadow Guard who learn the truth of Emberlene's aggression break from the order. The most prominent of these, Loruna Scathe, founds The Azure Cabal and competes for Mistryl's mercenary jobs. The Eleven Elders maintain control of the Shadow Guard throughout the rule of The New Republic, allowing their agents maximum freedom to chasing the highest-paying contracts. The Nimbus Commandos Affiliation Page: The Nimbus Commandos Extremely specialized and deadly dangerous, The Nimbus Commandos is the most lethal fighting force on the rain-soaked planet of Jabiim. Although the group was founded in the years just prior to the Clone Wars, its roots go back 3,000 years to Jabiim's colonization. The Jabiim settlers form a ground army and a small stellar navy in response to incursions by Trandoshan raiders attempting to steal Jabiimi ore stockpiles. Elite divisions within the Jabiim Army are created to handle the most difficult tasks, and these special forces- consisting of units such as the Black Gauntlets, the D.E.E.P., and the Stone Torrent- eventually become a third military branch. Jabiimi special forces prove instrumental in driving off the Lythian Pirates and other threats. Alto Stratus, a commander within the Bronze Nimbus, becomes disillusioned with the cowardice of the Jabiim Army's generals and the lack of assistance from the Republic or its Jedi. Stratus ties the the Bronze Nimbus more closely to his personal command, drawing elements of the Jabiim Army into his cult of personality. When war breaks out between the Republic and Count Dooku's Separatists, Stratus seizes the opportunity to stage a coup. His Nimbus Commandos assassinate key members of the ruling Jabiim Council. Stratus then uses his influence to ally Jabiim with the Separatists. He consolidates the regular military, renamed the Nationalist Army, in order to maintain public order. The Republic then view Jabiim as an enemy and move to secure Jabiim's ore deposits for itself. The Republic lands a ground force and joins the anti-Stratus faction of the former Jabiim Army, now called the Jabiim Loyalists. In the exhausting slog and battles that follow, the Republic's Jedi and Clone Troopers are outmatched by the opposing Jabiimi, who have spent their lives training and fighting in the planet's rainy muck. The Nimbus Commandos prove especially lethal, destroying AT-ATs with minefields and limpet charges, and slaughtering Jedi forces in an ambush at the Republic's Shelter Base. Stratus loses his life in the final push against Cobalt Station, but his war had been won- a shamed Republic withdraws from Jabiim in defeat. The ranking member of the surviving Nimbus Commandos, Colonel Mazzi, rallies the Nationalist Army to maintain military control of Jabiim. After the Clone Wars, The Nimbus Commandos works with the Empire to put down uprisings by Jabiimi Loyalist holdouts. Stormtroopers prove ineffective in Jabiim's specialized terrain, and The Nimbus Commandos are given free rein in suppressing dissent. The Onderon Beast Riders Affiliation Page: The Onderon Beast Riders The Beast Riders of Onderon are a curious military force of criminals who banded together into a guerilla army before eventually morphing into an elite royal strike unit. Onderon is a kill-or-be-killed jungle planet that became even more lethal with the arrival of Drexls- winged monsters, tained by The Dark Side, that spawned on the Dxun moon. The planet's colonists built the great walled city of Iziz to keep the beasts at bay, and the titanic fortress (The planet's only major settlement) housed millions. Iziz's monarchy exiled criminals and dissidents into the savagery outside the city walls, but instead of becoming prey for the Drexls, the outcasts learned to tame them. The new clans of Beast Riders established a hierarchy based on the idea that might makes right. The head warlord carries the title of Beast Lord and possesses a long list of victories and the most fearsome Drexl. Dozens of clans sprang up in the Onderon wilderness, with each clan warlord paying fealty to the Beast Lord. The outcasts also tamed nonflying Boma for ground raids and to guard their structures. However, the dragonlike Skreev remain untrainable, as do Onderon's Zakkegs, Cannoks, and other predators in the planet's unforgiving ecosystem. When the Beast Rider society grew sufficiently large, it fixed its sights on Iziz. Beast Lord Kinch Sunka launches the first attack on the walled city, triggering a war that lasts for centuries. Iziz's defenders fight back with pulse-wave cannons and antiaircraft gunnery emplacements. The outnumbered clans of the Beast Riders view the war as a crusade. They realize that they cannot hope to seize and control all of Iziz; their goal is to breach the palace's defenses and kill the royals responsible for banishing their ancestors. Circa 4,000 BBY, Beast Lord Oron Kira begins a secret romance with Galia, the princess of the Iziz ruling family. Helped by The Jedi Order, the Beast Riders overthrow the Sith-influenced monarchs King Ommin and Queen Amanoa, and Oron Kira becomes the official consort of the new queen. The newfound legitimacy of the Beast Riders elevate it to the status of a special aerial unit attached to Onderon's planetary defense force. During The Great Sith War, the Beast Riders chase the invading Mandalorians to the Dxun moon, but payback came during The Mandalorian Wars when The Mandalorians overwhelmed Iziz's defenses and conquered Onderon. Many members of the Beast Riders perish in the campaign to unseat The Mandalorians. Its ranks were later divided during the Onderon Civil War of 3,951 BBY. After Onderonian General Vaklu fails in his bid to overthrow Queen Talia, the Beast Riders- except for mercenary holdouts such as the Skelda Clan- is united and reorganized under the banner of the Republic. The Republic Rocket-Jumpers Affiliation Page: The Republic Rocket-Jumpers The Republic Rocket-Jumpers, officially known as the Rocket-Jumper Elite Advance Unit, are the most celebrated unit of the Republic Army. Using Jet Packs, the Rocket-Jumpers penetrate enemy territory and establish airheads- temporary advance staging areas used to shuttle in troops and heavy equipment. Such missions sometimes verge on suicide, and Rocket-Jumpers have earned a reputation as hardnosed miracle workers. The Rocket-Jumper Corps came into existence circa 11,000 BBY, when newly reliable Jet Pack technology allowed for the reinvention of the unit formerly charged with powered paraglider landings. Rocket-Jumpers became legendary in such conflicts as the Second Herglic Feud (9,757 BBY), the Waymancy Storm (7,811 BBY), the Gank Massacres (4,800 to 4,775 BBY), and the Quesaya Border Conflict (4,007 BBY). Rocket-Jumpers use jet-equipped Droids- most notably the R-EAU Linemaster- for resupply and rearmament; Droids that survive difficult campaigns are often adopted as platoon mascots. The R-EAU inspired the development of the Juggernaut War Droid, a class that goes rogue on Coruscant during the Great Droid Revolution in 4,015 BBY. The Juggernauts' defeat of the Rocket-Jumpers in the sky above Monument Plaza is one of the war's most heartbreaking moments. Despite public sentiment and new Republic laws, the Rocket-Jumpers refuse to dismantle their R-EAUs after the uprising and eventually receive a special exemption for them. As their reputation grows, the Rocket-Jumpers are assigned to special forces missions such as VIP extraction, reconnaissance of sensor-shielded encampments, and destruction of enemy emplacements. Rocket-Jumpers are among the most highly decorated soldiers in the Republic Army, and several of them go on to hold public office (Including Republic Minister of Defense Netus and Supreme Chancellor Vocatara). The Rocket-Jumpers also become notorious for their off-hours antics, which tilt heavily toward drinking, fighting, and outrageous stunts or pranks. Casual patrons avoid Rocket-Jumper gathering places at all costs, and these properties are among the most difficult to insure in all of Galactic City. In 1,000 BBY, the Republic abolishes its standing military under the Ruusan Reformation, leaving security in the hands of sector and planetary defense forces. The Rocket-Jumpers vanish with the rest of the Republic Army, but their technology and tactics live on. The Mandalorians become known for their jey-jumping surprise attacks, and both the Republic Clone Army ad the Imperial Stormtrooper Corps develop Rocket-Jumper equivalents in the Jet Trooper and Air Trooper divisions. The Senate Guard Affiliation Page: The Senate Guard The Senate Guard has existed as long as the Galactic Senate itself. Artwork from the Republic's early centuries shows mute, motionless Guardsmen at the signing of every treaty, their weapons a testament that the Republic was prepared to use force if diplomacy failed. The uniforms and gear of the Guard changes from century to century, but two elements keep recurring: the color blue (The same hue as the robes worn by the first Supreme Chancellor) and a helmet design reminiscent of the Notron Centurions. The Senate Guard began as a bodyguard detail, but grew into a capital police force. As it did so, it began to attract the best law-enforcement officers away from Coruscant police forces and training academies, leading to open hostility between The Senate Guard and The Galactic City Police. The situation worsened when The Senate Guard put the entire Legislative District under its jurisdiction. The move, however, is necessary. To protect the thousands of Senators who live and work in the district (Not to mention the Supreme Chancellor), The Senate Guard needs to cover an area much broader than the Grand Convocation Chamber. Colloquially called The Blue Guard (And, less frequently, The Republican Guard), The Senate Guard is inevitably influenced by the politicians it protects. Like the Senate itself, the Guard increasingly becomes a legacy system, with sons and daughters of current officers afforded privileged positions in the Guards' Academy on Coruscant. Corruption begins to infect the ranks, with affluent Senators quietly paying their Guards to look the other way while they conduct under-the-table business. At the same time, loyal members of the Guard work to root out their crooked comrades with a robust internal affairs department. The Guard also distinguishes itself with some of the best investigative and forensics work in the capital. The Senate Commandos are the elite members of an already elite force. Drawn from The Senate Guard's ranks, these top-scoring combat experts make up a special-missions force assigned to high-security details and other risky assignments. Wearing customized field armor, The Senate Commandos face down some of the galaxy's deadliest hired killers and bounty hunters. The Senate Commandos become Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's personal bodyguards following his election in 32 BBY. After the outbreak of the Clone Wars, Palpatine hand-selects the most loyal members of The Senate Commandos to create a new bodyguard detail known as The Red Guard. The Senate Guard continues in a somewhat diminished role, undergoing a change in uniform that exchanges helmet crests for face-masking visors. Once the Empire takes root, security in the capital falls under two divisions: The Imperial Royal Guard, dedicated to protecting the Emperor, and The Coruscant Guard, charged with investigative work and military-policing. Former members of The Senate Guard are employed within both divisions. The Emperor also creates a secret security legion known as The Imperial Senate Guard, although it has no connection to its obsolete namesake. This division (And its subgroup, The Imperial Senate Sentinels) carried Lightsaber Pikes and were widely believed to be Cyborg Hybrids. The Sun Guards of Thyrsus Affiliation Page: The Sun Guards of Thyrsus The Sun Guards of Thyrsus are one of the most feared military units in history, said to be the only group of warrior who could go toe to toe with The Mandalorians and win. The Sun Guards originate with the Echani Command, a confederation of six worlds dominated by a Near-Human offshoot Species. The Echani have silvery hair, chalk-pale skin, and a remarkable sameness in body type and facial features, all believed to be the result of Arkanian experimentation with the Human genome. On the worlds known as the Six Sisters, the Echani develop a kinetic communication style and can instantly identify an individual through subtle shifts in body language. This sensitivity translates well to physical combat. During the Bengali Uprising, the Echani on the sun-baked world of Thyrsus rebelled against the female council that ruled the Six Sisters, breaking their planet off from the others. Their military units bore the emblem of the red suns of Thyrsus, and their elite special-missions division evolved into the Sun Guard. The Thyrsians are a diametrical contrast to the rest of the Echani: male dominated instead of female dominated, heavily armored instead of lightly armored, drawing spiritual lore from the sun rather than the moon, emphasizing bladed weapons over unarmed combat, and dark hair and skin. In at least one way though, the Thyrsians retained a traditional element of Echani arts: the uncanny ability to read the body language of others and to predict their next move. At first, the Sun Guards led armies against the Echani. The group later turned its attention to The Mandalorians, alarmed by their expansionist tactics. Clashes between the Sun Guards and The Mandalorians usually took the forms of duels to the death between small groups of combatants rather than full military mobilizations. More than a century before the rise of the Empire, Thyrsian culture became fixated on Force lore, particularly the prophecy that the galaxy's savior would be known as "The son of suns." The Sith Order, still in hiding after the Battle of Ruusan, play on the Thyrsian belief that The Sith are the subjects of this prophecy and encourage the Sun Guards to follow Sith interpretations of Jedi orthodoxy. The Sun Guards emerge as a Sith cult, and Darth Sidious brings members of the Guards into his employ as mercenaries and assassins. Near the end of the Clone Wars, Sidious tasks Asajj Ventress with eliminating the order. Of the members of the Sun Guards she spares, some join Emperor Palpatine's Royal Guard. Force-sensitive Sun Guards become candidates for the Imperial Shadow Guard. Others, such as Kenix Jir, are used as cloning templates (If fact, a Sun Guard had been considered as a possible prime clone for the Republic's clone army). Armor and weaponry from dead Sun Guards have fallen into the hands of bounty hunters such as Moxin Tark, who exploit the fearsome reputation of the Sun Guards. The Trianii Rangers Affiliation Page: The Trianii Rangers The Trianii often are mistaken for similar felinoid Species such as the Togorians and the Tinnell; those who make this error underestimate the incredible speed and agility of the Trianii. By the time an enemy realizes that they are facing an angry Trianii, it's a good bet that they've already suffered a mortal injury. This physical prowess, a matter of pride among the Trianii, is prized nowhere more than in the ranks of the elite Trianii Rangers. The Trianii Rangers date back thousands of years, tracing its roots to a primitive frontier corps that protected landowners as they tamed the serpent-infested forests of Trian. By the time Trian had established a planetwide government, the Rangers were an above-the-law police force with the authority to execute suspected criminals on sight. The age of space travel prevented the Rangers from becoming a tyrannical junta; the need to protect Trian from outside invaders took precedence over everything else. As the Trianii established colonies on the nearby planets of Brochiib, Ekibo, Fibuli, Pypin, Monic, and Perin, The Trianii Rangers grew in size in order to patrol the Hyperspace lanes between the colonies and the homeworld. Piloting RX4 Patrol Ships and Kiree Starfighters, members of the Rangers beat back incursions by the Kwapi Pirates, the maggot-cyborgs of Hydra, and the Ugors, a meddlesome Species that simply wanted to collect scrap metal. With a noble cause and the blessings of Trian's many gods, the Rangers became a legendary force within the tiny Trianii Empire. Its dominance ended when The Corporate Sector Authority- a rapacious commercial entity established by the Empire- extended its influence into their region of the Tingel Arm. The proud Trianii Rangers could not let this outrage stand, but neither could it drive out all the CSA landing craft. The CSA annexed Fibuli and reinforced it with Espo troops, and the Rangers mobilized into a tooth-and-nail conflict. Amused executives at the CSA suddenly took the matter more seriously when The Trianii Rangers sent back the severed heads of Espo officers. The war between the CSA and the outnumbered Trianii dragged on for years, kept alive by the Rangers' hit-and-fade tactics. Many captured Rangers were held in suspended-animation at Stars' End prison on Mytus VII. A jailbreak from Stars' End, followed by the Empire's collapse in 4 ABY, brought an end to hostilities with the CSA. The Trianii Rangers subsequently oversaw the colonization of 19 new worlds. Wraith Squadron Affiliation Page: Wraith Squadron Wraith Squadron is a patently bizarre Starfighter unit. Although ostensibly created by New Republic Starfighter Command in 7 ABY, the squadron actually came to life as the result of a wager between Commander Wedge Antilles and Admiral Ackbar. Antilles, a Starfighter ace who saw a military niche halfway between pilot and commando that he could fill, bet Ackbar that he could whip 10 washout flyers into fighting shape and build a hybrid unit. The members of Wraith Squadron, equally skilled in Starfighter piloting and special-forces disciplines, applied their oddball personalities to espionage, sabotage, and infiltration missions that ultimately redefined New Republic Intelligence. Antilles appointed his friend and former wingman Wes Janson as the squadron's second-in-command. The first class of Wraiths included former child holodrama actor Garik "Face" Loran, moody sniper Myn Donos, genetically altered Gamorrean fighter Voort "Piggy" saBinring, Admiral Ackbar's niece Jesmin Ackbar, Bothan slicer Eurrsk "Grinder" Thri'ag, multiple-personality Thakwaash pilot Hohass "Runt" Ekwesh, and Kell Tainer, the son of a man that Wes Janson had been forced to kill during his time with the Tierfon Yellow Aces. The squadron trained at the moon base of Folor and drew the scorn of purist pilots. The Wraiths joined in The New Republic's campaign to defeat Warlord Zsinj, one of many Imperials trying to carve out his own piece of the splintering Empire. Admiral Trigit, commander of the Star Destroyer Implacable in Zsinj's fleet, became the squadron's first target. After the members of Wraith Squadron captured the enemy corvette Night Caller and posed as the vessel's crew, they wormed their way into Zsinj's operation and set a trap for Admiral Trigit at Ession. Their efforts culminated in the destruction of The Implacable. With their impersonation and infiltration tactics a proven success, the members of the Wraiths next posed as the Hawk-bats, an ersatz pirate band. After Zsinj recruited them, they gained valuable intelligence on the warlord's strike at the Kuat shipyards. Zsinj stole the Super Star Destroyer Razor's Kiss, and Wraith Squadron's effort to undo his triumph ended in the Battle of Selaggis. A massive New Republic naval taskforce seemingly ended Zsinj's threat forever. Wraith Squadron no longer fit the strict definition of a Starfighter squadron. Its members underwent a reassignment from Starfighter Command to New Republic Intelligence, where they enjoyed far more autonomy. Under commander Garik Loran, Wraith Squadron aided in the fight against Admiral Daala, in the Black Fleet Crisis, and in the hunt for the Caamas Document. During the Yuuzhan Vong Invasion, Wraith Squadron helped The Jedi kill Yammosk war coordinators. Their diverse specialities allowed squadron members to fool the Yuuzhan Vong into thinking that Jaina Solo was the incarnation of the trickster goddess Yun-Harla and to create undercover disguises for accompanying Luke Skywalker on a mission to enemy-held Coruscant. After the war's end, Wraith Squadron continued to serve as Galactic alliance Intelligence's preeminent field unit.